1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ion vapor generation and to improved devices for generating ion vapors. The invention has particular utility in combustion enhancement of furnaces using oil, gas, coal, wood and the like fuels, and to combustion enhancement of internal combustion engines using gasoline, diesel oil, and/or LNG, propane, or butane gas and the like fuels, and will be described in connection with such utility, although other utilities including, for example, the field of health for control of infectious airborne contaminants, irritants to breathing, and odors in the air are contemplated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The presence of measurable amounts of water vapor is known to have a catalytic effect on improving the efficiency of fuel consumption in various combustion processes as is described in Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, 4th Edition, at page 1501. For many years, bubbling vapor generators have been applied successfully on internal combustion engines. During the last several years improvements have been made in ion vapor generators for heating apparatus and related combustion furnace applications particularly as described in my earlier Pat. No. 4,952,340. The precise phenomenology by which water enhanced combustion has not been fully understood. A further puzzle has been that bubbling or agitating the water to produce hydroxyl ions, e.g. as described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,340 and prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,862,819, 4,016,837 and 4,410,467 has usually further enhanced combustions, notwithstanding the fact that the mechanism by which negative ions are liberated from a liquid including H.sub.2 O, and why the bubbling or agitating process functioned better than other methods, is unknown. However, numerous tests substantiating the production of OH--(including mass spectrometry and electron miscrope and commercial use of the inventor's earlier ion vapor generator as described in the '340 patent, have demonstrated the benefits of the presence of a source of negative ion vapor to combustion processes. A research report of the inventor's earlier bubble ion vapor technology is given in Nelson, K. L. et al, "Augmentation of Gas Phase Combustion by Bubbling Combustion Air through Water", proceedings of alternative energy sources for; Hydrocarbon Technology environment (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Vol. 6, 1982, pages 273-289.Further, the beneficial reduction of odors in the air and reduction of air born irritants to breathing have been experienced by such use. Confirmation of the benefits derived from negative ion vapor to several human health related areas, such as retarding the presence of bacteria and resulting in infection, is documented in Soyka, Fred et al The Ion Effect; N.Y., Bantam Books, 1977, with additional references given in the bibliography.